Women who undergo IVF may be at higher risk of pregnancy complications.
A study of 34 million women who gave birth in the United States found that those who became pregnant after fertility treatment were 26 percent more likely to have a premature baby.
Compared to women who conceived naturally, women were 57 percent more likely to have placental abruption - a rare, serious complication in which the placenta separates from the uterine lining.
The associations with these pregnancy complications remained even when the older age of women requiring fertility treatment was taken into account.
Age is associated with a higher risk of complications.
Even when women's general health conditions, such as obesity and high blood pressure, were taken into account, fertility treatment was associated with higher rates of preterm births and placental abruptions.
A study has found that women who undergo IVF have a higher risk of pregnancy complications
Women who undergo fertility treatment to start a family are more likely to have twins and triplets, although multiple pregnancies are far less likely than before, which can increase the risk of premature birth.
However, some experts suspect that hormonal medications used to stimulate a woman's ovaries to produce more eggs for fertility treatment may also increase the risk of problems during pregnancy.
Researchers who compared the births of more than 106,000 women after fertility treatment with 34.1 million natural conceptions also found a greater risk to women's health.
Those who had medical help to get pregnant were two and a half times more likely to have acute kidney injury and 65 percent more likely to have an irregular heartbeat.
The study of 34 million women who gave birth in the U.S. found that those who became pregnant after fertility treatment were 26 percent more likely to have a premature baby (file image).
While all complications studied are extremely rare, the study authors say women should be warned about the risk by IVF clinics.
The lead author of the study, Dr. Pensee Wu, senior lecturer and honorary consultant obstetrician at Keele University School of Medicine, said: “It is important that women know that fertility treatment carries a higher risk of pregnancy complications, which need to be monitored closely, particularly during delivery.
“General and specialist health professionals should ensure that these risks are communicated and strategies to mitigate them are discussed and implemented.”
The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, is one of several that find a link between fertility treatment and preterm birth.
Women who are infertile may also have other health problems that increase the risk of complications during pregnancy.
The study examined women who gave birth between 2008 and 2016.
